{"id":45560,"date":"2025-09-05T15:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/45560\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T15:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T15:57:08","slug":"what-are-upfs-and-how-to-easily-eat-more-unprocessed-food-plus-a-triple-protein-dahl-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/45560\/","title":{"rendered":"What are UPFs and how to easily eat more unprocessed food \u2014 plus a triple-protein dahl recipe"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an opportunity for new resolutions, September makes an ideal time for a reset. Unlike the more traditional time of the year, we\u2019re neither overwhelmed by the post-Christmas letdown nor sneezing our way through January blues. After a summertime of lighter, fresher eating, we\u2019re primed for a good food September and cutting down on ultra-processed food (UPF) is a good target to have in our sights. A new book by British-based registered nutritionist, author, and podcast host Rhiannon Lambert, The Unprocessed Plate, offers a practical way to reset your diet by focusing on healthier habits, alternative options, and minimising UPFs.<\/p>\n

Almost half the food that we buy in Ireland is ultra-processed. In February 2024, The BMJ medical journal published the world\u2019s largest review into UPF, making direct links between the consumption of UPF and health issues such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This review involved nearly 10m participants and experts from institutions including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US, the University of Sydney, and DCU in Dublin. It noted that \u201cdirect associations were found between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 (71%) health parameters\u201d, including \u201cmortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes\u201d.<\/p>\n

With the term UPF covering everything from breakfast cereals, protein bars, and mayonnaise to instant noodles, energy drinks, and sausages, it can sometimes be difficult to figure out a way through this confusing food forest. Consumer Perceptions Unwrapped, a 2024 European study from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Food Consumer Observatory, found that consumers are concerned about the long-term health risks of UPF.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, without the knowledge needed to identify UPF, shoppers were often unable to avoid these foods.<\/p>\n

What are UPFs?<\/p>\n

The very definition of UPFs isn\u2019t entirely clear, even among experts. Lambert describes them, in short, as \u201cproducts that have been significantly changed from their original form using industrial methods and ingredients you wouldn\u2019t normally use at home\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the addition of ingredients such as flavour enhancers, emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners, these are foods \u201cdesigned to be tasty, convenient and long-lasting, but eating lots of them regularly may affect your health over time\u201d. While \u201cthe key message is it\u2019s not about avoiding all UPFs entirely\u201d, she says, it\u2019s important to understand what they are and to consume them in moderation.<\/p>\n

\"RhiannonRhiannon Lambert suggests making small, manageable changes that fit into your lifestyle. Picture: Isabelle Pana<\/p>\n

Lambert is committed to promoting a science-backed approach to nutrition in her popular podcasts and social media accounts. In The Unprocessed Plat
\n e, she uses the Nova classification to define UPFs. This scientific system developed by researchers at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo in 2009 has four categories of food: unprocessed\/minimally processed (fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, grains); processed culinary ingredients (butter, oils, sugar, salt); processed foods (cheese, canned vegetables and pulses, freshly made bread); UPFs (fizzy drinks, packaged snacks, sugary cereals, many ready meals).<\/p>\n

Of course, there are grey areas, but knowledge is power, even if it is, sometimes, a little confusing. \u201cIt\u2019s important to take a balanced and informed view,\u201d says Lambert. \u201cWhile high consumption of ultra-processed foods can be linked to poorer health outcomes, occasional intake within a nutrient-dense diet is unlikely to pose significant harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are even times when, she points out, these foods are not necessarily a bad idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome UPFs, such as fortified plant-based milks, wholegrain breads, or low-sugar cereals, may offer nutritional benefits, particularly when accessibility, budget, or time constraints are barriers to cooking from scratch. UPFs exist on a spectrum, and not all are created equal.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also makes the point that baby formula is \u201ctechnically a UPF, yet it\u2019s a vital source of nutrition for infants when breastfeeding isn\u2019t an option\u201d.<\/p>\n

Manageable changes<\/p>\n

In 2023, a report from Safefood noted that families on a tight budget in Ireland were often struggling to afford healthy food due to inflation, with some households needing to spend up to a third of their weekly income on food. Everyone should have \u201cequal opportunity to access nutritious, affordable food and enjoy a healthy diet\u201d, says Lambert, adding it is \u201cessential that discussions and interventions happen at all levels, from government and industry to communities\u201d.<\/p>\n

While it can be tempting, as with many resolutions, to decide that you\u2019re cutting all UPF out of your diet, that\u2019s not necessarily what Lambert would recommend, especially when you\u2019re trying to juggle work and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s completely understandable that cooking from scratch every day feels overwhelming, especially when time is so limited,\u201d she says. \u201cAs a working mum of two, I\u2019m no stranger to this myself, and even as a nutritionist, I don\u2019t always have the time to cook everything fresh from scratch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n The key is to make small, manageable changes that fit your lifestyle, helping you build habits that make healthier eating easier and less stressful.\n <\/p>\n

She\u2019s a fan of prioritising breakfast, cooking simply, and meal planning: there are plenty of ideas in The Unprocessed Plate from overnight oats and fridge-raid omelette muffins, traybakes such as baked ricotta, beetroot and walnut or chicken, pumpkin and chickpea or a veg-loaded lasagne that can be portioned and frozen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying to ditch pre-packaged bread, Lambert has soda bread, cottage cheese bread, and yogurt flatbread options. As shop-bought sauces and spreads are often UPFs, there\u2019s a chapter with alternatives such as nutty chocolate spread and spiced tomato ketchup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are also sweet recipes with benefits, including vegetables (courgette, miso, and olive oil cake), fruit (berry banana ice lollies), and chocolate (dark chocolate and oat cookies).<\/p>\n

The Unprocessed Plate, Lambert\u2019s third, is friendly, informative, and encouraging, offering accessible ideas for making healthier switches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal isn\u2019t perfection, but progress,\u201d says Lambert, \u201cintroducing simple habits that help you and your family enjoy better food choices without adding more pressure to your day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lambert\u2019s top three easy swaps for UPF store-cupboard staples<\/p>\n